The present invention relates to an improved method and kit for detecting explosives selected from peroxides, chlorates and bromates.
In recent times, the use of home-made, improvised explosives has been growing rapidly, and peroxide based explosives, like triacetonetriperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine (HMTD), have been shown to be easily manufactured and almost as strong as the standard explosives used today.
Methods and tests kits for detecting explosives selected from nitroaromatics, organic nitrates, nitramines, inorganic nitrates, chlorates and bromates, have been described by Margalit in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,296,380 and 5,480,612. Neither of these patents describe detection of peroxide based explosives. The entire contents of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,296,380 and 5,480,612 are incorporated by reference herein.
Itzhaky et al., in WO9943846, has described a method and kit for detecting an organic peroxide-based explosive in a sample. The organic peroxide is hydrolyzed with strong acid to release hydrogen peroxide, and the resulting mixture is reacted with a peroxidase enzyme and a substrate capable of being oxidized by the oxidant under the catalysis of the enzyme to produce a pronounced change in a measurable physical parameter of the substrate. The entire contents of WO9943846 are incorporated by reference herein.
It is a principal object of the present invention to enable the detection of explosives containing chlorates or bromates, and the sequential detection of peroxide based explosives after testing for the presence of chlorates or bromates in the same sample. Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows.